pdilley
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I've been saving this one for Dave, will dedicate it to him because ancient Egyptian bouza vividly illustrates the bread-beer connection. Archaeological digs have already shown that the bread and fermented drinks were made in the same building separated by a common wall. This recipe is adapted from the anthropological journal Food and Foodways and came to me from Sandor who's friend Kai, who used to live in Kenya, drank bouza there, and he confirms that this recipe reproduces the authenticity of the bouza. This also gives us a good insight into a link into the ancient Ales that were "bread" like in flavour and had to be drunk young as they spoiled rapidly if left after fermentation.
Bouza has been consumed in Egypt continuously for 5,000 years. That tradition may be dying out today, as increasingly funamentalist Muslim authorities have outlawed alcohol and revoked licenses of bouza shops.
Bouza requires only two ingredients, wheat and water, manipulated in incredibly clever ways. As stated above, the process for bouza vividly illustrates the bread-beer connection. Wheat formed into loaves of bread is part of the process, and traditionally the way yeast was stored for bouza making was in partially cooked loaves of bread, where the centre remained raw and full of live yeast. In essence, making bread was a convenient way to store the raw materials for brewing beer. -- As reported in Archaeology magazine.
Timeframe: About 1 week
Ingredients (for 1 gallon / 4 litres):
o 4 cups (1 L) wheat berries
o 1 cup (250ml) bubbly sourdough starter
o Water
Process:
The process for making bouza consists of three distinct steps: malting, or sprouting one-quarter of the wheat berries; making loaves of the remaining wheat berries; and finally brewing the bouza out of these ingredients. The products of the first two processes are stable and storable, so there is no need to do it all at once.
MALTING Stage
1. Follow the process as with making Essene Bread. Soak the whole grains in water, in a jar for about 12 to 24 hours at room temperature.
2. Drain and discard the water. Put the berries back in the jar. Cover the jar with a cloth and secure with a rubber band around the lip of the jar. Set the jar upside down to drain any extra water inside of another container such as a glass measuring cup.
3. Rinse the sprouting grain with fresh water at least twice a day, morning and evening, more often if you can think about doing it during the day. In hot weather rinse more often. The goal is to keep the sprouting grain from drying out or molding.
4. You'll know the grains have germinated when you see little tails emerging from them. Use the grains (or dry them) within 2 or 3 days of the signs of germination for maximum sweetness. Be sure to keep rinsing the sprouts at least twice a day.
FORMING LOAVES Stage
1. Coarsely grind the remaining 3 cups (750mL) of wheat berries. If you don't have a grain mill, its ok to use organic whole-wheat flour although you will lose about 24 nutrients that are removed by commercial mills to make the flour last for ages without rotting on the shelf.
2. Add 1 cup (250mL) of bubbly sourdough starter.
3. Mix into a stiff dough, adding additional water, just a little at a time, if needed.
4. Form into a round loaf, and leave for 1 to 2 days to ferment.
5. Bake the loaf at 150C for about 15 minutes so that the outside is cooked but the centre is still raw, with live yeast.
BREWING BOUZA Stage
1. Fill a crock or bucket with a gallon (4 liters) of water.
2. Coarsely grind the dried malted wheat and add it to the water.
3. Break the partially baked loaf apart and add it into the water.
4. Add a little fresh sourdough starter if you are not confident you have left the loaf raw in the centre, stir, and cover the fermentation vessel with a cloth to keep out dust and flies.
5. Ferment for about 2 days, then strain out the solids and drink. Bouza will keep for a week or two in the refrigerator.
Cheers,
Brewer Pete
Bouza has been consumed in Egypt continuously for 5,000 years. That tradition may be dying out today, as increasingly funamentalist Muslim authorities have outlawed alcohol and revoked licenses of bouza shops.
Bouza requires only two ingredients, wheat and water, manipulated in incredibly clever ways. As stated above, the process for bouza vividly illustrates the bread-beer connection. Wheat formed into loaves of bread is part of the process, and traditionally the way yeast was stored for bouza making was in partially cooked loaves of bread, where the centre remained raw and full of live yeast. In essence, making bread was a convenient way to store the raw materials for brewing beer. -- As reported in Archaeology magazine.
Timeframe: About 1 week
Ingredients (for 1 gallon / 4 litres):
o 4 cups (1 L) wheat berries
o 1 cup (250ml) bubbly sourdough starter
o Water
Process:
The process for making bouza consists of three distinct steps: malting, or sprouting one-quarter of the wheat berries; making loaves of the remaining wheat berries; and finally brewing the bouza out of these ingredients. The products of the first two processes are stable and storable, so there is no need to do it all at once.
MALTING Stage
1. Follow the process as with making Essene Bread. Soak the whole grains in water, in a jar for about 12 to 24 hours at room temperature.
2. Drain and discard the water. Put the berries back in the jar. Cover the jar with a cloth and secure with a rubber band around the lip of the jar. Set the jar upside down to drain any extra water inside of another container such as a glass measuring cup.
3. Rinse the sprouting grain with fresh water at least twice a day, morning and evening, more often if you can think about doing it during the day. In hot weather rinse more often. The goal is to keep the sprouting grain from drying out or molding.
4. You'll know the grains have germinated when you see little tails emerging from them. Use the grains (or dry them) within 2 or 3 days of the signs of germination for maximum sweetness. Be sure to keep rinsing the sprouts at least twice a day.
FORMING LOAVES Stage
1. Coarsely grind the remaining 3 cups (750mL) of wheat berries. If you don't have a grain mill, its ok to use organic whole-wheat flour although you will lose about 24 nutrients that are removed by commercial mills to make the flour last for ages without rotting on the shelf.
2. Add 1 cup (250mL) of bubbly sourdough starter.
3. Mix into a stiff dough, adding additional water, just a little at a time, if needed.
4. Form into a round loaf, and leave for 1 to 2 days to ferment.
5. Bake the loaf at 150C for about 15 minutes so that the outside is cooked but the centre is still raw, with live yeast.
BREWING BOUZA Stage
1. Fill a crock or bucket with a gallon (4 liters) of water.
2. Coarsely grind the dried malted wheat and add it to the water.
3. Break the partially baked loaf apart and add it into the water.
4. Add a little fresh sourdough starter if you are not confident you have left the loaf raw in the centre, stir, and cover the fermentation vessel with a cloth to keep out dust and flies.
5. Ferment for about 2 days, then strain out the solids and drink. Bouza will keep for a week or two in the refrigerator.
Cheers,
Brewer Pete
